Paris 2008: 2009 Lexus IS250C
by Damon Lavrinc on Oct 2nd 2008 at 2:23AM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Lexus IS250C
Lexus has chopped off two doors and the roof from the IS250 to create the IS250C, due to arrive in Europe in the summer of 2009, and the U.S. shortly thereafter.
The 2009 Lexus IS250C features a three-piece aluminum roof that retracts in a "world's fastest" 20 seconds, and features revised overhangs 15mm (front) and 55mm (rear) longer than the sedan, a new fog lamp design and a rising beltline that integrates into the revised haunches. The IS250C's rear end leaves a lot to be desired, with an odd assortment of angles terminating into a set of awkwardly placed LED taillights. With the top up, nothing seems to seamlessly blend together, looking like an ill-advised amalgamation of the outgoing SC430 and BMW 335i. Inside, thing get mildly better – in typical staid Lexus tradition – with a set of rollover hoops for the rear seat passengers, a 12-speaker Mark Levinson sound system and a speed sensitive climate control system that will boost the heat during open air jaunts. And naturally, you can fit a golf bag in the trunk with the top down.
Make the jump for Lexus' brief press release and check the galleries below for live and press photos from Paris.
Gallery: 2009 Lexus IS250C LIVE
Gallery: 2009 Lexus IS250C
PRESS RELEASE
IS 250C – World Premiere
Making its world debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the new IS 250C combines the sporting elegance of the IS sedan with superlative engineering ingenuity to create a unique fusion of top-down driving pleasure and uncompromised closed-top dynamic performance in the premium sedan segment. Its lightweight, aluminium folding roof structure boasts the fastest three-part roof opening time of just 20 seconds. Through the remarkably compact packaging of its roof mechanism, the IS 250C offers a large boot space, generous rear seat access and spacious rear passenger accommodation.
Sharing the IS 250's 153kW/208DIN hp, 2.5 litre ultra-smooth V6 powerplant and 6-speed automatic transmission, the new Lexus convertible has been styled to offer minimal wind turbulence when driving with the hard top stowed. The enhanced torsional stiffness of the IS 250C design promotes ride comfort appropriate to the marque and, in coupe configuration, reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics on a par with those of the IS sedan.
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 4)
Atomicbri 8:34AM (10/02/2008)
Wow.... talk about a chop job, that is hideous. I hope that the made a coupe version and that this will not pose as both. Bad, bad design Lexus...
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Some Guy 8:43AM (10/02/2008)
What I think looks really strange is how much smaller the rear wheel-arches are compared to the front; it throws the whole side-view out of proportion and makes the rear wheels look far too small.
I think people are being a bit silly by comparing it to the SC; it's not great but the 250C looks a lot better than that ever did!
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MoonRover 8:47AM (10/02/2008)
What can you expect, the car was designed by Rubbermaid.......the inspiration for this vehicle was a polyethylene dishpan. I would say they hit their target, a dishpan on wheels.
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LloydChiro 9:30AM (10/02/2008)
This car would be perfect for a menopausal mortgage broker in 2005. But, who will buy it now?
Did Lexus jump the shark with this car? Or, did they jump the shark with the 2nd generation SC?
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cFoo 9:36AM (10/02/2008)
LOL. Lexus hired exAcura designers. The IS was beautiful until now.
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Chris 9:40AM (10/02/2008)
Hardtop Miata drops in 12 seconds.
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MikeW 9:59AM (10/02/2008)
Where the hell is the 3gr-fse & 8 speed auto? (don't use 8th when the top is down)
The 4gr-fe is weak sauce.
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j 9:50AM (10/02/2008)
Wow, it really looks like they just took out the rear 2 doors and made the front doors much longer... Lexus really f'd this one up
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Eek 10:25AM (10/02/2008)
Come ON Lexus, work with us here. Hopefully the coupe will come out better.
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XJ 10:33AM (10/02/2008)
Looks like something that belongs on European roads...back in the 70s...
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Dan 10:39AM (10/02/2008)
this hurts my eyes
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JZeke 10:48AM (10/02/2008)
I would've expected something like this had Lexus tried to make a convertible 20 years ago...
What the hell is this? Its as if the stylists were told to go on vacation and the senior engineers just cobbled a roof on a chopped IS. The proportions are terrible, and there is absolutely no elegance to the final shape.
Come on, seriously? Lexus WAS on a roll til this thing.
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Sid 11:41AM (10/02/2008)
It's fugly!! This is just wrong...
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Rich 11:47AM (10/02/2008)
the front end looks nice but my beef with hardtop convert's is the rear quarter. there are very few cars that look god with the top up or down but they started the design phase as a hardtop convert not a sedan that three yrs later turned into convertible.
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C.W. 11:52AM (10/02/2008)
Wow...Hope Infiniti does a better job at the G convertible than Lexus did with this.
But then again, Infiniti has their stuff together when it comes to styling.
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Kotse 11:54AM (10/02/2008)
Reminds me of the 3rd Gen 1994-96 Camry Coupe...ugly (and was poorly sold). I see history would repeat itself...
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Jj 1:29PM (10/02/2008)
The Camry “Coupe” your refer too was little more than a Camry sedan with big doors, The overall profile of the car was basically the same.
This is jarring because of the more vertical rear glass and long rear deck compared to the IS sedan.
IGB 9:51PM (10/02/2008)
So basically Toyota updated the Solara (finally). With sales and profits in the dumper, they pasted a lexus grill on the front in the hopes of increasing the margin.
It'll sell to the 4 or 5 people still able to make the payments on their McMansions.
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PiCASSO 1:42PM (10/02/2008)
Ouch...
First, I still think that the 2006 IS 250/350 is one of the best looking small sedans out there. It has the proportions of an athlete from any angle that you look at it:
http://www.netcarshow.com/lexus/2006-is350/
http://www.netcarshow.com/lexus/2006-is350/1600x1200/wallpaper_01.htm
http://www.netcarshow.com/lexus/2006-is350/1600x1200/wallpaper_10.htm
But this 4-seat 2-door convertible really takes what I love about the sedan and cobbles it up with irregular lines and odd shapes. Where I thought the BMW 3-series convertible was odd looking, the Lexus IS250C makes it look like a model.
I just hope that Lexus puts out a fixed top coupe that has better proportions than what I'm looking at through these pictures.
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simianspeedster 1:52PM (10/02/2008)
Just one more example of why I can't stand folding hardtop convertibles.
Yes, I know they're more secure, they protect against weather and they're generally easier to sell to "non-convertible types," but *all* of the folding hardtop convertibles have compromised styling to some degree (even the 3 series BMW and Volvo C70, which may be the best of the lot). This is among the worst examples I've seen to date.
The back of this car is far too tall. Why? to hide the bulk of the folded top. It makes the rear wheels look like 14" jobbies. Terrible.
The roofline is pinched and has akward proportions, just like the VW Eos and the Mercedes SLK. Why? To form a roof shape that prioritizes efficient folding and storage over looks.
Please, auto designers: let coupes be coupes and let convertibles be convertibles. Mixing the two rarely ends up with a pleasing result.
-Mister Winky
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